Pharmacists say they bear weight of new law

Iowa’s pharmacists say they’re bearing the weight of a program designed to help seniors. The pharmacists say a state law aimed at lightening the load of prescription drug costs dumps on them. There are 24-thousand members in the Iowa Priority Prescription Savings program, paying 20-dollars a year and getting discounts on their prescriptions. The plan was to have pharmacies give them a discount, then be paid back by drug makers. But the plan went into action before organizers had agreements with the major pharmaceutical companies, and only 28 medications are covered by discount agreements, leaving the druggists un-reimbursed for many others. While part of the plan was to convince drugstores to cut their profit margins to give seniors a break, managers of Iowa Priority admit the pharmacists are getting stuck with much of the bill for pills right now.